Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, shown with former general manager Tom Heckert on Aug. 12, has returned to his role as CEO of Pilot Flying J.

Jimmy Haslam has returned to his role as CEO of Pilot Flying J, a surprising move the Browns say won't affect the day-to-day operations of the team.
Flying J, a Knoxville, Tenn.-based chain of truck stops and travel centers, hired former PepsiCo president John Compton as CEO on Sept. 11, when it also was announced that Mr. Haslam was stepping down to become chairman and focus more of his efforts on the Browns.
Five months later, Pilot Flying J says Mr. Haslam is back as CEO, and Mr. Compton will be the strategic adviser to the company, the Browns and the Haslam family.
“Given John's broader role across our companies, I am very excited to reassume the CEO role of Pilot Flying J, and look forward to working alongside our 25,000 team members in continuing to take great care of our customers, employees and shareholders,” Mr. Haslam said in a company news release Monday.
Browns spokesman Neal Gulkis said the decision won't change anything with the club Mr. Haslam purchased from Randy Lerner for more than $1 billion, a move that became official when it was approved by NFL owners Oct. 16.
“Nothing has changed,” said Mr. Gulkis, the Browns' vice president of media relations. “It will not impact the operations of the Browns, nor will it affect Jimmy's involvement with the team.”
Former Philadelphia Eagles president Joe Banner was hired by Mr. Haslam as the Browns' CEO, and Alec Scheiner was named team president Dec. 18 after eight seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. Mike Lombardi was brought in by the team as the vice president of player personnel on Jan. 18 after six years with the NFL Network.
Mr. Haslam told the Knoxville News Sentinelhe missed being the CEO of the company his family founded in 1958.
“(The return to CEO was) not about John,” Mr. Haslam told the newspaper. “This is about me realizing my first love is running Pilot Flying J and wanting to return to that job.”